The Works District proposal for redeveloping the former Morse Chain and Emerson Power Transmission site on South Hill is going to Common Council for the first time this week.

A resolution of conceptual support is before the council Planning and Economic Development Committee on Wednesday. Such a statement of support for the idea is needed to allow the city to start a site plan review, conducted by the Planning and Economic Development Board.

Unchained Properties has applied to the city and town for a unit development on the 95-acre site straddling the city-town line, which is likely to be the largest single-site redevelopment in the city and town’s history. The plan calls for a mix of apartments, offices, commercial and manufacturing space, much of it repurposing the 800,000 square feet of old factory and related buildings vacant for nearly 10 years since Emerson closed the industrial-chain factory.

The plan would have to come back to Common Council for ultimate approval, however, as it would be made into a planned unit development in the city’s zoning ordinance.

Water plant

The Board of Public Works has dropped plans to buy a house on East State/Martin Luther King Jr. Street to serve as a headquarters of the rebuild of the city’s water plant, alderwoman Donna Fleming of the Third Ward announced last week.

The Department of Public Works had pursued buying or leasing the house at 967 E. State/MLK Jr. St. to facilitate parts of the $37 million rebuild. But some nearby residents objected, saying they had been told the city would minimize disruption to the neighborhood and fearing more truck traffic.

Electrical boxes

The city plans a party to unveil the Another 21 Boxes mini-mural project at 5:30 Thursday evening in Washington Park. There will be pot-luck tables for sharing dishes to share, and maps of box locations will be available for seeing the works.

The project commissioned artists to paint artful designs on electrical boxes around the city. A 2012 initiative resulted in 21 earlier boxes.

Board members

Common Council on Wednesday approved three appointments or reappointments to city boards and commissions: Barbara Adams reappointed to the Civil Service Commission, Jack Elliott to the Planning and Development Board, and Norma Gutierrez to the Public Art Commission.

A vacancy remains on the Planning and Development Board after former chairman Govind Archarya resigned. As chairman, he was also on the Board of Public Works, and his departure created a vacancy there.